Electronic device and switching method for the same

• US 8,934,014 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2010
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Scienbizip Consulting (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Scienbizip Consulting (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Hou-Hsien, Lee, Chang-Jung, Lo, Chih-Ping
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Jay Au
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aghevli, Reza
• Application Number:
  US12/965,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20120069191A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,495 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

A method for switching a monitored location of a plurality of image capture devices using an electronic device obtains a current direction of the electronic device, and determines a current image capture device corresponding to the current direction of the electronic device from the plurality of image capture devices. The method further sends a switch command to the current image capture device, receives captured images from the current image capture device, and displays the received captured images on a display screen of the electronic device.

Claims

1. A method for switching a monitored location of a plurality of image capture devices using an electronic device, the monitored location being monitored by the image captured devices, the method comprising:

setting a reference direction of the electronic device and a corresponding reference image capture device of the plurality of image capture devices;

obtaining a current direction of the electronic device detected by an electronic compass chip of the electronic device;

determining a current image capture device corresponding to a movement direction and a movement angle between the reference direction of the electronic device and the current direction of the electronic device from the plurality of image capture devices, wherein the current image capture device is determined when the movement angle of the electronic device is within a preset range of the current image capture device, and the current image capture device is determined as the reference image capture device when the movement angle of the electronic device is less than a preset value; and

receiving captured images from the current image capture device, and displaying the received captured images on a display screen of the electronic device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining a current image capture device corresponding to a movement direction and a movement angle between the reference direction of the electronic device and the current direction of the electronic device from the plurality of image capture devices comprises:

calculating the movement direction and the movement angle between the reference direction of the electronic device and the current direction of the electronic device; and

obtaining a position of the current image capture device corresponding to the current direction of the electronic device according to the movement direction and the movement angle of the electronic device, and a position of the reference image capture device.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the position of the reference image capture device or the current image capture device is an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the reference image capture device or the current image capture device.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of image capture devices are aligned on a plane or a curved surface.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of the image capture devices are aligned linearly, in a circle, or curvedly.

6. An electronic device in communication with a plurality of image capture devices, comprising:

a display screen;

a storage device;

an electronic compass chip;

at least one processor; and

one or more modules that are stored in the storage device and are executed by the at least one processor, the one or more modules comprising instructions;

to set a reference direction of the electronic device and a corresponding reference image capture device of the plurality of image capture devices;

to obtain a current direction of the electronic device detected by the electronic compass chip;

to determine a current image capture device corresponding to a movement direction and a movement angle between the reference direction of the electronic device and the current direction of the electronic device from the plurality of image capture devices, wherein the current image capture device is determined when the movement angle of the electronic device is within a preset range of the current image capture device, and the current image capture device is determined as the reference image capture device when the movement angle of the electronic device is less than a preset value; and

to receive captured images from the current image capture device, and display the received captured images on a display screen of the electronic device.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the instruction to determine a current image capture device corresponding to a movement direction and a movement angle between the reference direction of the electronic device and the current direction of the electronic device from the plurality of image capture devices comprises:

calculating the movement direction and the movement angle between the reference direction of the electronic device and the current direction of the electronic device; and

obtaining a position of the current image capture device corresponding to the current direction of the electronic device according to the movement direction and the movement angle of the electronic device, and a position of the reference image capture device.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the position of the reference image capture device or the current image capture device is an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the reference image capture device or the current image capture device.

9. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of image capture devices are aligned on a plane or a curved surface.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of the image capture devices are aligned linearly, in a circle, or curvedly.

11. A non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a processor of an electronic device, causes the processor to perform a method for switching a monitored location of a plurality of image capture devices using the electronic device, the monitored location being monitored by the image captured devices, the method comprising:

setting a reference direction of the electronic device and a corresponding reference image capture device of the plurality of image capture devices;

obtaining a current direction of the electronic device detected by an electronic compass chip of the electronic device;

determining a current image capture device corresponding to a movement direction and a movement angle between the reference direction of the electronic device and the current direction of the electronic device from the plurality of image capture devices, wherein the current image capture device is determined when the movement angle of the electronic device is within a preset range of the current image capture device, and the current image capture device is determined as the reference image capture device when the movement angle of the electronic device is less than a preset value;

sending a switch command to the current image capture device; and

receiving captured images from the current image capture device, and displaying the received captured images on a display screen of the electronic device.

12. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the step of determining a current image capture device corresponding to a movement direction and a movement angle between the reference direction of the electronic device and the current direction of the electronic device from the plurality of image capture devices comprises:

calculating the movement direction and the movement angle between the reference direction of the electronic device and the current direction of the electronic device; and

obtaining a position of the current image capture device corresponding to the current direction of the electronic device according to the movement direction and the movement angle of the electronic device, and a position of the reference image capture device.

13. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the position of the reference image capture device or the current image capture device is an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the reference image capture device or the current image capture device.

14. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of image capture devices are aligned on a plane or a curved surface.

15. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of the image capture devices are aligned linearly, in a circle, or curvedly.

16. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the medium is selected from the group consisting of a hard disk drive, a compact disc, a digital video disc, and a tape drive.